Convalescence
by Spearmintos
Summary: -DISCONTINUED- A glimpse of what Korra's small stay at Republic City before moving off to the south pole might look like.
1. Numbness

A single tear rolled down her cheek. The blues of her eyes no longer shone with youth, lacking any energy she once had. Heavy eye bags under her eyes seemed to pull them down, giving Korra a look of sad hopelessness. She blankly stared into the air, her hands folded in her lap, unmoving. As everyone else applauded Jinora's anointment as an Airbending master, Korra only managed another half-smile before returning to her impassive self. As soon as the ceremony was over, Asami wheeled her out of the temple and into the courtyard.

The skies wore a bright blue colour, as little soft white clouds drifted past the island. Even the sun was determined to be kind to Korra, as its gentle rays caressed both of the ladies. A slow breeze was blowing over Air Temple Island.

Asami tried to break the uncomfortable silence between the both of them.

"Uhm Korra, would you like to go to the garden? The flowers are in season during this period of time! I'm sure they would be lovely to see." As soon as those words left her mouth, she knew she sounded too cheerful, too excited. Korra did not stir. She continued to stare emptily. Inwardly sighing, she took Korra to the garden, grasping the small hope that this would cause her to speak, or in fact do anything.

Water and fire lilies alike were blooming as the wheelchair rolled into the grass of the garden. Korra did not seem to notice the blue, orange and red flowers. Asami noticed her indifference. Korra's impassivity was starting to influence her, who was growing more and more dejected by the minute. She began to daydream about the times where Korra was not always like this, when she was still the hot-headed, caring and lovable woman. When she would bring joy to wherever she was-

"Why me?"

Korra's raspy voice shook Asami out of her daydream. For a moment she was afraid that she was daydreaming that too, wildly hoping that she was not.

"Why me?"

This time Korra's voice, slightly louder, lacking in any emotion, was stronger. She turned around and looked at Asami, her sad eyes searching for answers in green ones. It took Asami a full second to realise what she was saying:

Why must I go through all this? Why am I the only one who has to suffer like this?

Walking around the wheelchair, Asami knelt down in front of Korra took her hands, enveloping them in her own.

"Korra, I know the past couple of weeks has been hard on you. If I were in your shoes, I would have given in to the pain you feel right here, right now. Being the Avatar is not the easiest job in the world. But you've shown me that nothing can weigh you down. If anyone can win this battle, it's you. If you need anything, you know I'm always here to help. You will get better. I promise you." She got up, and slowly bent forward to embrace Korra, wrapping her arms around the stiff body, gently hugging her. Suddenly, Korra felt herself relaxe a little and slowly lifted her weak arms to return the action.

"Thank you Asami," she whispered.

Asami stepped back, and saw that Korra wore a weak, yet genuine, smile. She felt more hopeful already.

"Alright, let's get you back to your room for lunch," she said.

(~)

"LUUUNCH IS SERVED!"

Adorning a fake moustache, Bolin entered Korra's room and proudly presented a tray filled with various dishes. A bowl full of green noodles dominated the tray, surrounded by smaller bowls of sea prune stew, seaweed stew, five-flavour soup and tentacle soup. Korra sat in her wheelchair, unmoving. Undeterred, Bolin began to describe the dishes with the same vigour.

"Presenting to you the main highlight of the show, right from Narook's Seaweed Noodlery, seaweeed noodles! If that doesn't delight you, my young lady,-" He did a little curtsey, "-we have a fine selection of side acts that include sea prune stew, which I assure you will delight you to no end! Cooked until perfection, these sea prunes are so soft that they will melt as soon as you eat them!"

Bolin grinned broadly as he placed the tray onto Korra's table. She looked at Bolin and gave him a small smile. "Thank you Bolin. Please send my thanks to Pema as well."

"My pleasure. Now if you would excuse me, I have to go alert the almighty chef! Until then, Korra, my lady, please enjoy, your meal." He gave Korra a salute, before marching off to the kitchen. She stared at the food, her smile fading into obscurity. The sea prunes bobbed up and down in the stew, staring back at her.

"C'mon. I'll feed you the stew first. Solid food will be hard to digest, after weeks of soup." Asami lifted the soup spoon and lowered it into the stew, before carefully lifting it back up again. She blew slowly across it to cool it down. She brought the spoon close to Korra's lips, but they remained in a firm line.

"Korra, you're not going to get better if you don't eat."

Her lips remained shut.

"Please Korra. For your father?"

Slowly, her lips parted and allowed the warm stew to enter her mouth, and then her throat.

"There you go! That wasn't too bad was it?" said Asami encouragingly.

_It tastes nice. It tastes like home,_ thought Korra.

She nodded her head gently, bringing a huge smile to Asami's face.

"That's great! We'll finish this soup, and then we'll call it a day. Is that okay with you?"

Again Korra nodded gently, careful not to exert her neck.

Asami beamed as she lifted the soup spoon once again.

(~)

The sun was dipping below the horizon. The sky was a mix of orange, red and purple. The last few rays were shining on Korra's face as she looked out of the window. She felt a small glimmer of appreciation for nature as she gazed at the sun. Clouds were stretched out thinly across the sky, soaring in the sky. In the distance, she could spot Republic City's lights beginning to switch on, slowly coming alive. The bustle of the city could be faintly heard as she saw the people at Yue Bay walk about like tiny ants. In the courtyard she could see Tenzin's children romping about with Naga, who was chasing them. The squeals of laughter only brought annoyance to Korra, and she shut the window, hoping to quell the noise.

Asami slowly entered the room, noticing Korra's withdrawn state. Trying not to disturb the silence so suddenly, she tried to speak softly.

"Korra, would you like to come down to the hall? Everybody wants to see you at dinner. They've got a small surprise for you, but they understand if you'd like to stay in your room."

Straining her arms, Korra grabbed the sides of her wheelchair and tried to turn around to face Asami, who immediately rushed over to turn her around. Looking at Asami with tired eyes, she sighed.

"Okay."

Asami smiled at her. "Thank you Korra." She went to the back of her wheelchair and proceeded to wheel Korra to the hall.

At the hall, everyone was excitedly whispering about the surprise. Hearing the wheels of the chair, Mako immediately stood up from his chair. "Okay everyone, quiet down! Korra's coming!"

A few moments later, Asami drove the wheelchair into the hall. Everybody cheered, albeit subduedly. Tenzin was the first to welcome Korra with open arms.

"I'm so glad you decided to come down!" he beamed. "Why don't you sit beside Meelo and Ikki? He's very eager to help you." Korra wore a wane smile. Pleased, Tenzin lead her to the unusually quiet boy, who was brimming with excitement underneath the cool demeanour.

"Hi Korra! Would you like some of the soup? Mommy tried to make it like five-flavour soup," said Meelo.

Korra gave a tired smile. With extreme caution, Meelo lifted the soup ladle and poured the soup into Korra's empty bowl. The scent of the soup made her feel warmer. A tiny flame was being lit in her. It was small, but it was there. However, it was suppressed as soon as Korra began to think about her state. How she was so weak to do anything. How she could not even lift a soup ladle to serve herself, to feed herself. Her smile dropped, and the firm straight line returned. Noticing this, Meelo felt less enthusiastic about helping Korra. His smile faded a little as well, and although he tried his best to be a jovial host, everyone noticed how Korra had begun to affect everyone in the room.

Not wanting everyone's mood to be affected, Tenzin immediately rose from his chair and cleared his throat. "Alright everyone, without further ado, let's welcome our surprise!" Having almost forgotten about it, many were silent for a moment before they broke out into raucous applause. From the other entrance of the hall entered an elderly woman. Hands folded and placed at her abdomen, she bowed and smiled at everyone. Wearing the same hairstyle she wore almost 70 years ago, Katara walked towards Korra and held her right hand in hers. A frown appeared on her face as she sensed Korra's disturbed energies throughout her body. A moment later, she looked at Korra straight in the eye, the corners of her mouth tipping up.

"You're going to be alright," she whispered.

Katara then walked up to Tenzin and whispered something in his ear, who nodded vigourously and kept muttering "Yes, yes!" Tenzin then went on to notify Asami on this matter. Listening carefully, her face soon lighted up, and returned to feeding Korra her soup, beckoning her to swallow it.

Korra remained impassive, having her thoughts consumed her.

That she was useless, unworthy, unwanted.

That she could not fulfill her duty as the Avatar because she could not stop Zaheer and his little gang from poisoning her with something she doesn't even know.

She searched herself to feel something; anguish, hatred, sadness. All she could feel was nothing.

Numbness.

**(~~~~~~)**

**HEY YALL I've decided to do a little fanfic about Korra's recovery over the weeks. It'll include little moments as well and stuff. uhhh I think I'll release a chapter every week? (crosses fingers.) Anyways I hope to expand it until Korra actually recovers. Hope you guys liked this small chapter!**

**And as always, thanks for reading ;D**


	2. Wheelchair

Kerosene oil burned in a lamp as Asami sat in a chair, a hand to her forehead. In front of her lay several sheets of paper, most of which had drawings of wheelchairs, with huge crosses drawn over them. Directly under her eyes was a picture of a wheelchair almost perfectly drawn. She wrote a word in capital letters and bolded it below the image:

**BATTERY?**

As she retraced the letters continuously, her mind began to wander to Korra. Ever since the poison had entered her body, she was often withdrawn and moody. She hardly spoke to anyone, and was often found staring into thin air. She could not sleep well, a symptom of the poison. As she was physically weak, she required a wheelchair wherever she went. Asami could tell that she wanted to be alone sometimes, and she respected that. Unfortunately, someone has to be by Korra's side so as to allow Korra to move anywhere she wanted to as soon as possible.

With a motorized wheelchair, Asami figured that most of Korra's problems would be solved. She could move anywhere she wanted to at her pleasure and at ease, by using a joystick to manoeuvre herself around.

She tapped a pencil to her forehead, her mind racing. A prototype of a wheelchair stood close to her, built from spare parts. It could function well, only-

"Where can I put such a big battery?" Asami wondered out loud. The flame only flickered noisily in response. In the next room, Korra was asleep, after Asami was able to comfort her successfully a few hours before.

She got up from the chair, and began to circle the wheelchair. As she continued to tap her forehead with her pencil, she began to form questions in her head.

_Where would I put the battery?What type of battery would it be? _

She stopped pacing, kneeling down to get a better look at the underside of the chair.

_If I built a flat battery, and placed it under the seat, the battery would have to be small. And small batteries don't have enough juice to power the wheelchair for at least a day. Then again-_

She stood up again and examined the back of the chair-

_If I put a big enough battery here to last Korra the day, the battery would be too big, reducing the efficiency of the wheelchair. What's the point of the wheelchair then if it's not allowing her to move quickly?_

She let out a huge sigh, as she ruffled her hair. She had been working on this prototype for a few hours, tirelessly drafting out sketch after sketch before finding the almost-perfect wheelchair.

_And I'm being held back by this stupid battery._

_Maybe I'll leave this to tomorrow night. I need some rest._

She blew the flame gently, and placed her pencil back onto the table. Before she left the room, she touched the prototype gently.

"Don't worry Korra, your life is about to become easier."

**(~~~~)**

**Drabble drabble!**

Haha first and foremost, thank you guys so much for all the follows. It honestly has been so amazing for me to get 62 follows in like 3 days. That's INSANE! I honestly think I don't deserve this many really I'm not trying to get sympathy votes or anything it's just that i think there are better authors than me out there and yettt damn.

**ALSO THANKS TO YINZA ON TUMBLR FOR THE INSPIRATION YAY. I can't link the pic it here but please please check it out on my profile :D**

Maybe it's because ya'll are so hungry for Korra to get happy haha

Anyways, I'll just clarify some things here:

Q:

"By 'almost everyone' do you mean 'almost everyone except for extremely minor characters' or do you mean 'there are some main characters that won't be included'?"

**A: Only minor characters won't be included. I'll try to include as many of the main characters as I go along.**

Q:

Are you going to make Korrasami the main ship?/etc.

**A: While I do ship korrasami(such a great pairing) I'm going to keep this as canon as possible. I **_**might **_**include Makorra, but that'll depend. (huehuehue)**

**Anddd that's about it. Once again thank you soooo much I really really do appreciate it. I'm almost halfway through the second main chapter so yup expect to see it on saturday.**

**And as always, thanks for reading! ;D**


	3. Anger

Chairs grinded against the floor as people stood up and left the hall. Asami slowly wheeled Korra back to her room. The crickets amongst the trees clicked irregularly, as moonlight shone through the paper walls, painting shadows on the floor. The wheels slowly creaked to a halt beside Korra's bed. Mustering as much strength as she could, Asami lifted the Avatar by the arms and slowly laid her on the bed, with her body upright, legs stretched out. Slowly, she removed Korra's outfit and dressed her in her white tank top and blue pants, before guiding her back to the bed, using her arm as a support to gently lower her back. Asami stroked her hair gently, before she went to the bathroom to change herself.

Korra stared at the ceiling, numerous thoughts running in her brain.

_Stupid Avatar, can't even dress yourself._

_You can even call yourself the Avatar? You're so weak. Everyone thinks you're going to recover, but you're not._

_You're done for._

_Maybe they hope that you even die so that they can find the next one._

She clutched her head, tears springing up in her eyes before she could stop them.

_Stop crying, you weak little idiot. STOP._

She was sobbing hard, hiccuping, her body rattling and shivering.

_You're PATHETIC!_

A wail emerged from Korra, shaking her body. The bathroom doors burst open as Asami rushed over to Korra's side.

"Korra! Are you okay? Do you need any hel-"

Before Asami could finish her sentence, Korra was struggling against her bed. Through gritted teeth, Korra propped her elbows against the bed, before straining and sitting up, her arms trembling at the effort. She looked at Asami through tear stained eyes, her face half covered in snot. The muscles in her eyebrows bulged and curved downwards, a nasty frown drawn in her lips.

"NO. I DO NOT NEED ANY OF YOUR HELP!" she yelled. She slammed her arm on to the bed frame with whatever strength she had left.

"I'm SICK and TIRED of all this-this helping that everyone is doing! I don't want to feel like- like I'm being pitied by everyone I want to be respected okay? I'm the avatar for spirit's sake!"

"I can't-can't be helped, I'm useless-I SHOULD BE HELPING THE OTHER NATIONS-I SHOULDN'T EVEN BE HERE! All I wanted to do was to help the Air Nation, but now I'm stuck with this problem that no one seems to understand at all! People think that saying 'it's going to be alright-they're just lying to themselves!They don't know ANYTHING! Why must they act so-so artificial?I-I-I-things-don't-sense…"

Her strained voice gave way and ended raspily. The angry outburst left Korra exhausted and weary, and she collapsed onto her bed, facing the wall. She began sobbing lightly again, her body shaking every time she hiccuped. Asami got onto the bed cautiously, not wanting to provoke Korra anymore. She slowly brings her arms around her, gently embracing her, before tightly hugging her, causing Korra to cry harder.

"You don't have to worry about me. Cry all night if you want to. I'll be here," she softly whispered.

Clumsily, Korra turned around and knocked her head against Asami's. Asami hummed softly, before hugging Korra properly, who embraced her as well. She continued to sob, before she drifted off to sleep shortly, her energy drained out. Hearing Korra's slow breathing elicited a small smile from Asami. She had not slept properly for two weeks.

(~)

She saw darkness, before the slits of her eyes drew wide open. Korra rubbed her eyes. In the corner of the room, Asami sat in a chair, her hands grasping the edges of a book, flipping a page. Groaning slightly, she slowly brought herself up to a sitting position by grabbing the bed frame. The bed squeaked under the movement of her body. Catching her attention, Asami put down the book on her chair before rushing over to Korra's side, who waved her away as her feet reached the ground, her back straight. She smiled a little, taking in the sense of achievement. Asami stood back, her hands on her hips.

"Looks like you're getting your strength back already," said Asami, a smug smile playing on her lips. "Let's get you ready."

Lifting Korra's arm and placing it on her shoulder, Asami stood up and guided Korra to the bathroom. She sat Korra down on the lone stool in the shower and began to undress her, leaving her only in her wrappings. Her skin, previously flowered with various colourful bruises, had begun to show its natural tone once more. Scarlet tinged her cheeks and a frown would appear whenever Asami had to do this, even though she had been undressing her for almost two weeks, once or twice a day. She hated that someone had to bathe her, as though rendering her helpless. Asami filled a bucket with warm water. A silence hung between them as the water gushed into the bucket. Placing a small dipper in, she lifted it up and began to pour the water over her head.

Korra closed her eyes and relished the water that flowed over her skin. It was the only time she ever felt her native element this close to her, the only thing that reminded of the sea she so longed for.

(~)

Dressed in her usual outfit, Korra sat in her wheelchair, facing the window. Eyebags were still heavy under her eyes, which were tinted slightly red. However, there was a subtle life in them, as though something within her was re-ignited. She looked at the clouds with earnest, subconsciously trying to make out shapes. Resting her chin on her hand, her mouth slightly open, Korra looked captivated by the clouds. Aware of her behaviour, Asami took this as a good sign. Trying her best not to ruin the peace, Asami spoke softly.

"Would you like to go to the airbending courtyard today? The kids really want to see you!"

Lifting her arms, she placed her hands on the wheelchair and managed to turn herself around, using her body weight to shift it. Looking at Asami straight in the eye, Korra's mouth drew open.

"Okay. Let's go."

Asami beamed and took the handles of her wheelchair, wheeling her to the courtyard. The air was fresh to Korra, who inhaled loudly and sighed. She liked the open air. The leaves of the trees rustled as the currents of air produced by the airbenders blew across the courtyard.

They soon reached the air gates, where she saw Bumi and a few others practice with them. Jinora, who was overseeing the practice, created a large current of air to spin the gates. Sharing a cocky smirk with one of his friends, Bumi quickly rushed in, though he was just as quickly thrown out, painfully slapped in the face by one of the gates. Landing on the ground on his face, he grumbled sulkily before he got up. Wiping his sweat off his forehead, he gritted his teeth before rushed in again. This time, he lasted a little while longer before being violently spewed out by the mechanism.

He let out a sound of frustration, before stomping off and muttering under his breath, unknowingly heading in the ladies' direction. When he finally did see them, he was taken aback, his face covered in a slight crimson.

"Hello ladies! Didn't see you there! Did you guys..did you guys see that?" he asked nervously.

Asami laughed as Korra smiled at him. "Don't worry, we'll keep it a secret," said Asami.

Bumi laughed with relief. "Phew! I thought you were going to tell my brother or siste-"

"KORRA!"

Before she could stop herself, she had accidentally exclaimed her name in the middle of training. The rookies frowned at her, confused. Quickly composing herself, she quickly told everyone to take a 5-minute break. Rushing over to Korra, Jinora was smiling broadly as she took Korra's hands.

"Korra! How have you been? You look so much better already!" she said warmly.

"Thank you Jinora, I feel slightly better today. Where are Ikki and Meelo?" asked Korra.

"They're at the temple, teaching another group of airbenders how to meditate. Just give me a moment, they want to give you something special!" Before Korra could reply, Jinora airscooted her way to the temple.

Within thirty seconds, the siblings raced down the steps of the temple, greeting Korra with identical smiles. In their arms they held a bouquet of flowers and a bundle of cards, both brightly coloured, yet mellow to the eyes.

Meelo began to describe the gifts to her. "These are for you Korra! We hope you like them. They're from everyone in the temple, as well as Mako, Bolin, Chief Bei Fong, Aunt Su Yin and a lot of other people. They wrote a lot of nice stuff so please please read them!"

"We also got you these flowers, which smell really really nice and they were also daddy's favourite because he said these flowers are beautiful so we got them for you!" rambled Ikki happily.

Korra smiled at them genuinely. "Thank you all. I'll never forget this."

Jinora, Ikki and Meelo embraced Korra lovingly, who tried to hug them all. "Okay kids, I need to go back to my room to rest. See you all for dinner later," said Korra.

"Bye Korra!" the trio said in unison.

Korra waved as she was wheeled away by Asami. Instead of heading to the women's dormitories, Asami went straight to the temple, alarming her.

"Hey- why aren't we going back to the dormitories?" she queried.

Asami pretended not to hear her as she wheeled her to the base of the steps. Out of nowhere, Bolin came running down the steps. Reaching them, he earthbent them and himself up the stairs, before disappearing just as quickly.

"Hey what is going on?"

"Just relax Korra. Nothing bad is going to happen. Trust me," assured Asami.

When they entered the temple, they were greeted by Tenzin and Katara. Both mother and son bowed to Korra, before Tenzin spoke.

"Hello Korra. As you know from yesterday, Katara has come all the way from the South Pole to visit us. But it's more than that. After hearing your-" Tenzin paused, trying to find a delicate word,"-condition, she wants to help you."

Korra sat in her wheelchair, unable to form thoughts. She felt nothing, before anger began to swirl in her uncontrollably.

"I don't need help, I can recover just fine on my own!" she coldly spat, before unsuccessfully trying to nudge the wheelchair around. Asami, who was expecting this, remained steadfast and held the handles of her wheelchair tightly.

"Asami, let me go," she uttered under her breath.

"Korra, please consider-"

"Asami, let me GO!" Using her body weight, she began to throw herself violently at the sides of the handles of the wheelchair, causing it to tilt dangerously from one side to another. Tenzin immediately ran forward in an attempt to aid Asami. The sight of Tenzin rushing towards her put her over the edge.

"Go AWAY!" At the last word, flames erupted from her mouth, sending Tenzin back to stand beside his mother. Korra's eyes began to flicker to white, her teeth clenching tightly as she grabbed the sides of the wheelchair, which were beginning to deform at the extreme heat.

"Korra stop!"

The sound of Katara's voice caused Korra to pause. She looked down, her face still full of rage. Something inside of her told her to listen. Still clenching her teeth, she huffed through her nostrils and sat in silence.

"Korra, I want you to understand that this isn't about you. This is about the sake of the world. I know you want to do this on your own, to be independent. But the world needs you more than ever. Without my treatment, you would not recover quickly enough. Tenzin's aribenders maybe helping the world, but they're only temporary. Even I think they won't be as good as you at resolving the possible conflicts yet to occur." Katara's eyes flickerd to Tenzin momentarily, who looked away. "You will always be the Avatar, incapicitated or not. No one will take away that title from you as long as you're breathing."

Korra looked away, her face burning in shame.

As though reading her emotions, Katara came forward and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. We all understand." She turned to Tenzin and nodded. Tenzin bowed to her before leaving the temple, locking it in the process.

"Let's begin the healing session. Shall we?" Katara looked at Korra, who nodded firmly. With the help of Asami, she lifted Korra off her wheelchair and set her down in the healing room of the temple. As Korra sat down, she took a huge breath, bracing herself for the pain that was to come.

(~~~~)

_author doesnt feel very good about this chapter._

That was the longest chapter I've written so far. Please let me know if you think I'm writing any of the characters OOC, and please review it so that I know which areas to improve on :D 74 follows is just mindblowing, and I want to thank each and everyone one of you for your support. I seriously did not see this coming. 

**Also, 'Wheelchair' (the previous chapter) was basically an insight of what happened in the night that they slept together. AND ALSO KORRASAMI IS NOT A CANON OTP IN THIS FIC I'm very sorry for those who thought it would be but its not. Believe me when I say that they and Makorra are like my OTPs but I want this fic to be as close to the original plot as possible.**

**And as always, thanks for reading! ;D**


	4. Slow Progress

A/N: **I used to be under the penname pepperrmintos, but someone er stalked me and found me out, so i had to change it. Also this story used to be called recuperation, but that had to be changed as well. sorry for the inconvenience :(**

(~During Korra's healing session EARLY ON~)

The great white polar bear dog came bounding out of the house. After two weeks of nothing but Pabu's aggressiveness, not to mention Grandma Yin's constant nagging, Naga was glad to see the people who loved him. She ran into Tonraq, causing him to land on the ground with a thud on the metal floor. Naga licked his face excessively, saliva strands dangling from her tongue.

"It's nice to see you too Naga!" said Tonraq, who was struggling to push her off himself. "Now please-"

Suddenly, Naga stood up and ran towards Senna. She howled at her questioningly, and began to prod her using her with her head. Not understanding what she meant, Senna took out one raw salmon from her bag and waved it in front of the dog's face.

"Do you want a treat?" she asked. The polar bear dog took the fish from her hands with her jaws, before flinging it away to the side. She continued to prod Senna and gave one last uncertain howl, before she finally understood. The tears in her eyes began to swell, until her eyes could no longer contain them. She sank to her knees, her arms slung against Naga as she buried her face into her soft white fur. Even through Senna's sobbing she understood what had happened, and so Naga snuggled close to her and gave soft, whimpering howls of her own. The grief from her only daughter suffering made itself heard, as she clutched onto the fur, feeling the softness of her.

Tonraq stood up, only to be greeted by the sight of his wife weeping alongside Naga. He ran to the duo, before embracing them together in one tight hug. It was only minutes later when they emerged from the embrace, with Tonraq gently caressing Senna's face, wiping her tears away with his calloused palm. A wan smile appeared on Senna's lips, as Tonraq grabbed Naga roughly by the neck before giving her a squeeze.

"We're taking you back to Republic City you know," he said.

She licked him, satisfied that her stay at Zaofu was finally being rewarded.

Without warning, Pabu came squealing out of the house, immediately scurrying up Tonraq's shoulders before rubbing its nose on his neck, tickling him. Pabu then leapt into Senna's arms, snuggling against her chest contently. Naga growled at the ferret, who leapt out of Senna to face the polar bear dog.

"Pabu? Naga? Get back in here!" Opening the door, Grandma Yin scowled at the sight of Naga and Pabu poised, ready to fight. Seeing Tonraq and Senna perplexed her as she put a hand to her chin, pondering.

"I've never seen you folk around here," she said, her eyes sending the duo a questioning look.

"Oh, we're the Avatar's parents. We've come down here to collect Naga and Pabu. Nice to meet you," Tonraq shook Yin's hands firmly. "Your name is-?"

"Oh, I'm Grandma Yin to many. I'm Mako's and Bolin's grandmother," said Yin with a smile.

"Is there anyone else with you?" asked Senna.

"Oh sure! Just give me a moment I'll get them out-"

"-we don't mean to disturb anyone actually-"

Yin retreated back into the house before yelling, "EVERYONE! We've got some visitors!"

One by one, the family members streamed out of the house. Some a little sleepy, others fully awake, and many surprised at the sight of two individuals dressed in strange blue clothing.

"Grandma Yin, who are these people?" asked Tu.

"They're from the water tribe Tu," replied Yin.

"I've never seen water tribe people before," said Tu, as he rubbed his eyes open in disbelief. "Are you here to take us to Republic City?"

"Are we going back to the Earth Kingdom?" another pitched in.

"Are we settling down here in Zaofu?"

"Are we-"

"Okay that's enough everyone!" Tonraq shouted. He closed his eyes, trying to formulate a plan. "Has anyone seen Su Jin? The city's matriach?"

"I'm right here Tonraq." Su materialized behind them, holding a few boxes in her arms. Setting them onto the ground, she looked at the huge family and looked back at Tonraq and Senna.

"Grandma Yin's voice was pretty loud from where I was. She can be quite the shouter. Is there anything you need help with?" she asked.

"Yes. Are these people going to Republic City or staying in Zaofu to settle down?"

"Well," Su began, "The choice is up to them really. If they wish to stay here, by all means I'll be happy to oblige. But if they wish to go to Republic City, I'll arrange for an airship to come and pick them up here." Su turned to the family. "Do you wish to stay here, or travel to Republic City to settle down there?"

"We'll like to stay here-"

"I want to see Republic City-"

Yin and Tu looked at each other, both of their faces flustered.

"What Tu means is that we'll like to stay here," said Yin.

"No! I want to see Republic City for myself. I want to see how the 'brothers' toughed it out on the streets!" interjected Tu.

"I want to see future industries!"

"Pro bending arena is where I'm headin-"

"Zaofu is probably safer than Republic City-"

"Yea, and look how entertaining this place is!"

The family began to argue amongst themselves, slowly breaking out into a heated debate as shouting and threats were thrown amongst each other. Su looked at Tonraq and Senna, sighing heavily.

"I guess we'll have to settle this, don't we?"

Before they could enter the fray, a guard came running towards Su. "Su, Master Katara is on the radio line. She wants to speak with you. It's urgent."

Su looked at Tonraq and Senna, her eyes wide-set with afraid. Her voice however, remained firm.

"Well, let's find out, shall we?"

(~)

Korra gave a grunt of frustration as she shut her eyes, her fists clenching tightly, white teeth baring through a grimace. Katara had attempted to extract the poison from her arms, but so far it was not working very well, especially for the young woman. Her body was refusing to co-operate, adamantly holding onto to the poison.

"Okay we'll stop the healing session for three minutes. Give your body a bit of a break," said Katara. Korra limply raised her hand to give her a thumbs up sign as she sat cross-legged on the floor, her back hunched over. Katara left the hall with the bucket. As soon as she left, Korra tried to lower her back, (_Slowly, slowly)_ but her hands gave way and she landed onto the warm wooden floor with a thud. The sound of flesh hitting the planks reverberated throughout the hall.

_I guess that works too._

She stared into the wooden ceiling as she folded her arms behind her head. The banners from yesterday's ceremony were still there, slowly swaying. Incense sticks burned as the smoke swirled nonchalantly in the air. She felt a sense of emptiness, which was all she desired at that moment. Nothing.

It was comforting to her, to not care or feel about anything anymore, at least in that window of three minutes. She felt more at calm, really. The fact that the Air Nomads were basically being the Avatar did not bother her anymore. Nothing bothered her anymore. Before she could savour the moment fully, the footsteps of Katara snapped her out of her reverie. With much effort, she rolled over to one side, before precariously pushing herself off the ground. Lifting each leg, she arranged them into a cross-legged position once more. She placed her hands on her knees and straightened her back as much as she could.

Katara set the bucket down, the water splashing about. She sat down behind Korra, and placed her hands on Korra's bare back, feeling the small lumps that covered it.

"We'll work on the bruises first. I've called someone in to help with your arms. She'll come later, if not tomorrow."

_Doubt she'll help._

Katara placed her hands into the bucket of water, and placed them onto Korra's back once more. Immediately Korra flinched and grabbed the wooden floor, her nails raking the planks. She soon relaxed, and a small smile appeared on her face...

It had barely been 30 minutes before a soft knock on the hall doors were heard. Katara mumbled under her breath 'give me a moment' before hurrying to the door as fast as she could. The sight of Su's face put a smile on her own.

"Su! I'm glad you could make it this early. Come on in." She guided her to the circle that Korra now sat in tiredly. With red eyes she looked at the matriach, who smiled, before kneeling in front of her.

"Let's see..." Gently stroking the her forearms, Su closed her eyes, feeling the poison within her system. Sure enough, the faint traces of poison could be sensed. Su adjusted herself to sit on Korra's right.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do. Aunt Katara, do you mind if you support Korra's head?"

Katara knelt behind Korra and rested her head on her thighs.

"Okay, Korra, I'm going to attempt to draw out the remaining poison from your arms. These bits were absorbed by your body by the time I withdrew the poison from you two weeks ago. After this, your hands would be slightly easier to use. It's going to be really painful. Do you want to do this?" asked Su.

Korra's voice barely rose above a whisper. "Yes, I'm-" She cleared her throat.

"Yes, I'm fine with it." The words came out strong and assured.

Su nodded, before she began to bend the metallic poison out of her system. An intense pain immediately shot through Korra, who arched her back forward, a sound of pain escaping her lips. Tears sprung from her eyes, marking familiar tracks on her face. Squeezing her eyes shut, she gritted her teeth.

"It's nothing, just-continue!"

Drops of sweat surfaced on Korra's temple as the pain intensified. Slowly, beads of the shiny liquid appeared on Korra's right arm.

"We're almost there Korra, just bear with me!" shouted Su.

With a fluid motion, she bent all the poison on to the wooden floor.

"Okay, I want you to try to move your right arm slowly," she said.

Cautiously, Korra lifted her right arm slowly. It still hurt tremendously, but now she could lift it up midway with effort.

"Good, that's good," muttered Su under her breath.

"Of course, I'll lessen the pain with the healing sessions," said Katara. Su nodded in agreement.

"Before that, I'd like to work on your left arm. Then we can call it a day on pain." Su smiled at Korra, who offered a small one of her own. She braced herself for the oncoming pain once more.

(~)

Dressed in her attire once more, Katara wheeled Korra out of the hall. The pallor from Korra's face had faded considerably. The puffiness around her eyes, however, had increased slightly. The doors of the hall opened, revealing the sun making its descent into the horizon once more. Tonraq, Senna and the family of Mako and Bolin stood in the courtyard in front of them.

"Korra, we've got a surprise for you!"

The family parted into two, revealing the white polar bear dog who instantly ran towards Korra. It stopped before her, looking at her uncertainly. Cautiously, Korra patted the head of Naga, who immediately nuzzled her nose against her hand. Korra gave a small smile, as she rubbed Naga's head roughly. Suddenly, Naga bent over and presented its back to her. Korra tried to refuse her offer.

"I'm sorry Naga, but I can't ride you today,"she whispered. She tried to make up for it by caressing the silky fur of the animal apologetically, but Naga did not move. She looked at Korra with hopeful eyes.

"Korra, if you need a saddle, we brought back yours that you left in Zaofu," said Tonraq. He put the saddle on Naga's back, adjusting the straps until Naga was comfortable.

"I got you." He lifted her from the wheelchair and placed her onto Naga's back, making sure she was secured. "Don't worry, I'll walk beside you to make sure nothing goes wrong okay?"

"Okay."

Father, daughter and dog walked side by side as they strolled on the grounds of Air Temple Island. Korra felt the familiar, gentle bobbing of Naga's back, the soft fur on her legs, the coarse leather saddle she sat on.

Cool evening air blew through her hair, relaxing her slightly. The strain from holding on to the edge of the saddle began to ebb away. She felt better being in the company of her father, the only man that knew her truly.

"Dad?" Korra asked.

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Why don't you sit on Naga with me?"

Korra stopped Naga, and turned to her left, looking at her father hopefully. Tonraq got on Naga in a few moments, and sat down with a huff. As Naga strolled amongst the trees, Korra laid her head against the chest of her father, feeling his strong heartbeat, the rise and fall of his chest.

She felt so at home.

(~)

Senna lifted her daughter onto the bed and caressed her cheek.

"Korra, I woudn't be able to come tomorrow. Dad and I have to go back to the South Pole, to take care of things back at the tribe. We'll be coming every fortnight to visit you darling. For now, would you want anything?" said Senna.

"No, it's okay Mom," replied Korra. An idea struck Korra. "Actually, is it okay if you...if you told me a story?"

This strange request baffled Senna. She put a hand to her chin, and pondered. "Hmm, I suppose I could tell you the story of how your father and I met."

Korra's eyes lightened up. She tugged on to Senna's arm, causing her to chuckle. "Alright, alright."

"It was the year 151. I was busy practicing a few waterbending forms with some of my friends- Aunt Kita, Aunt Yako, you know them- and we were having the fun of our lives actually. Wait-" she paused, trying to remember the exact details of the memory-"-right, we weren't practising waterbending anymore, we were having the fun of our lives having the ultimate snowball slug fest! That is until one of Aunt Kita's massive snowball hit a passing stranger, who was knocked down immediately. Aunt Kita and Yako ran away instantaneously, those rascals, and left me alone to deal with this man, who is your father, as you'd probably have guessed."

"He looked pretty intimidating, strongly built, quite tall as well. But he was already something of a looker. Nice nose, sharp eyes- spirits, I never believed in the whole 'love at first sight but there I was slowly getting enchanted by your father's good looks."

"I ran over to him, and tried to lift him out of the snow, which was no good; he was too heavy! So I awkwardly brought him to this sitting position, where he looked up at me. For a moment, he didn't say anything and just stared, before he cleared his throat and stuck out his hand. He told him his name was Tonraq, and I told him mine. He forgot to let go of my hand and tried to stand up. So he tripped backwards and dragged me along, which made me land on top of him. It was a pretty...embarrassing first encounter." Senna laughed heartily.

"We both laughed, before we decided to take a walk, and that's when the sparks really started flying. And that, my daughter is where my story ends," whispered Senna, for Korra had fallen asleep. She kissed her temple lightly before stroking it.

"Sweet dreams, Korra."

As she made herself to the other bed of the room, a small smile forned on the lips of Korra.

**(~~~)**

**Okayyy guys I'm finally done with this shit omg. Sorry I didn't post a chapter last week I came down with quite a bad bout of flu, so I decided to make this chapter longer than usual. I hope I satisfied the Senna interaction wanting peeps if not I'm sorry. And also to that anon whi said Senna and Tonraq would be caretakers of Korra, well, there's my answer. It's a shitty answer, but I feel it makes sense. so yea. **

_Please, please, PLEASE review and let me know your thoughts so that I'm on the right track okay peepos :D_

_**And as always, thanks for reading! ;D**_**  
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